Page 171 of Theirs to Tempt: The Marriage Claim

At the time, the principle had seemed obvious.

It is considerably less appealing when the woman walking away belongs at the center of my fucking life.

The elevator reaches the parking garage.

I lower the phone.

The choice does not feel noble. It feels like failure.

Caleb exhales.

I want to hit him for that too.

“If you’re relieved, I swear to God⁠—”

“I’m not.”

“You stopped me.”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

His expression hardens. “Because she was looking at you like she expected you to prove her right about every fucking thing she said.”

The anger drains out of me so abruptly that I feel unsteady.

For several seconds, neither of us speaks.

Then Caleb glances past me.

I know what he sees before I turn.

Three rings lie on the kitchen counter beneath the pendant lights.

The engagement ring catches first, the emerald-cut diamond flanked by sapphires, exactly as I chose it. Beside it are the two wedding bands.

My chest tightens.

I cross the room.

The last time I stood at this counter with Sophie, her books were scattered nearby and the ridiculous mug she favors sat beside the coffee machine. Evidence of her is everywhere now. A cardigan over the chair. A notebook she left near the window. One of her pens on the counter.

And her rings.

I pick up the engagement ring.

I remember the first time I put it on her finger.

She shoved the box back toward me.

I captured her wrist and slid the ring into place anyway.

I told her it would fucking stay there.

At the time, I considered her resistance temporary. Another variable to manage. Something patience, pressure, and desire would eventually overcome.

The ring presses into my palm.